Hotel News: June 07
June 6, 2007
The Crazy Bear, Oxfordshire
Is this the funkiest hotel in Britain? The Crazy Bear, in Stadhampton, just south of Oxford has won the AA Funky B&B Award 2007. Who was the judge? Fiona Duncan! I was given a short list of five AA-listed hotels to choose from for the award. Most weren’t funky at all, but the Crazy Bear most definitely is. Leopardskin on the walls, satin on the ceilings, mannequins dangling from the trees, a red double decker for reception … but more importantly it’s a very good hotel as well. Even better: a sister Crazy Bear opens in late summer in Beaconsfield.
Bedruthan Steps, Cornwall
Feeling green? Family friendly Bedthruthan Steps at Mawgan Porth in Cornwall offers pampering for frazzled parents, including Maharlika spa treatments, excellent food in its adult-only restaurant and wonderful sunsets, with OFSTED-inspected nurseries and kids’ clubs for the children. And now you can join hotel staff ‘beachcoming with a conscience’. They’ve ‘adopted’ Mawgan Porth, the wonderful beach over which the hotel looks, and trawl it every three months. Next up: September. Call the hotel for details.
Banys Orientals, Barcelona
The excellent budget hotel in the trendy Born district of Barcelona has recently added 13 new suites (also great value at £111 per room per night). As well as the hotel, in a charming old, green painted house, you can eat downstairs in Señor Paralleda, a delightful colonial-style restaurant serving inexpensive Catalan dishes.
The Seaview, Isle of Wight
Set in the breezy village of the same name, a stone’s throw from one of the island’s best beaches, this long-favourite star of the British seaside is getting a major facelift. In July seven new luxury Seaview Modern rooms will be unveiled to complement the existing 17, which have also been given a stylish makeover. The new look has been shaped by London designers Keech Green Interiors, who were keen to retain the spirit of the hotel with a look that’s classic yet contemporary.
